There has for a number of years been a recognized need for a holster which includes a locking member to prevent unauthorized removal of the hand gun by a suspect or other person when the holster is being worn by a law enforcement officer. The need for such holsters has been met by a front opening holster with a locking mechanism disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,749,293, 3,960,460, 3,997,583, and 4,035,902 of these inventors. Such locking mechanisms cooperate with a front opening design so that the handgun is blocked from removal upwards and is removed in a forward direction.
We have discovered however that there is a need for a lock or latch mechanism for a top opening and top removal holster designed not to prevent removal from the top of the weapon but to prevent the weapon from falling out in strenuous activities. This need has become more noticeable with the present trend towards open top or non-flap holsters for use by law enforcement officers. There has been at least one attempt in the past to place a trigger locking device within the trigger guard and that is found in a U.S. patent of approximately 50 years ago. It has been found however that devices of that type which require the user to insert his finger into the trigger guard adjacent to the trigger prior to drawing are dangerous. Inherent in the design is the situation that upward movement of the officer's hand causes his trigger finger to engage the trigger. If the weapon is cocked in a non-safety condition there is a serious danger of discharging in the holster. For this reason the prior devices of the type just described have not met with acceptance or success.